The present invention relates to a vehicle door opening/closing device that drives a vehicle door used to open and close a door opening formed in a vehicle body.
Patent document 1 describes an example of a vehicle door opening/closing device known in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle door opening/closing device includes a guide rail 91, which is fixed to a side portion of a vehicle body, and a guide roller member 93, which is fixed to a vehicle door 92 and movably engaged with the guide rail 91. An electric motor 97 serving as a drive source is set on the vehicle body. The electric motor 97 rotates and drives a drum 96. A cable 95 is selectively wound around and unwound from the drum 96. The cable includes two ends 95a and 95b, each coupled to the guide roller member 93.
The cable 95, which extends from the drum 96 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, runs around and between two pulleys 94a and 94b, which are located at the front side and the rear side of the guide rail 91. The two ends 95a and 95b are coupled to the guide roller member 93.
In such a conventional structure, when the drum 96 and the cable 95 transmits the drive force of the electric motor 97 to the guide roller member 93, the guide roller member 93 moves in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the guide rail 91. The vehicle door 92 moves integrally with the guide roller member 93 and opens and closes the door opening.
Such a known vehicle door opening/closing device that is arranged on a quarter panel of a vehicle body is also known including a guide rail, an electric motor, a drum, a cable, and two pulleys (refer to patent document 2).